Poll: Does being racist instantly make you a bad person?

[Jamash]

Spoiler: snip

No, in fact it's completely normal (but I'm not saying it's acceptable) to be racist. It's simple, tribal reactions that have stuck with us as a culture. Back when we lived in tribes, it was ever tribe for itself. Everyone distrusted the other tribes because, given the chance, the other tribe would quite happily storm in, rape their women, steal their crops and kill their men and children.

This distrust of people from other cultures and countries is still with us today, however we should be civilised enough to ignore those feelings and accept that the guy over there with darker skin than you is most likely a friendly, family man, and isn't about to eat your entire family and pet dog.

So they aren't a bad person, they just need to accept that they're no longer right to be wary.

That's Xenophobia, which perfectly acceptable and natural.

Racism is slightly different, because it involves a conscious decision to discriminate against, or worse, hate someone else because of their race, which is bad.

I met someone one who was so racist, he'd has racism so deeply ingrained into his psyche by his family, that he refused to drink coffee without milk. I said to him "We've ran out of milk, will you take yours black?" and he shot me a look of pure disgust, proudly proclaiming "I don't take anything black".

I had to leave the building I was laughing so much.

Back to the question posed by Sparrow, without knowing exactly what this person said and the context of it, it's hard to answer. It could have been simple Xenophobia with a dash or ignorance (which wouldn't make them bad) or it could have been full on racist hatred, which would make the bad.

Maybe the people I've experienced have been less extreme than you have met (and, from that story of yours, they certainly are), but I've always found that racism is caused by not making the conscious decision to hold your tongue when Xenophobia, the natural instincts, kick in. I'd say it makes a person ignorant, but not necessarily bad, to act on their Xenophobic feelings against someone else because of their race.

Fear of something we are told is acceptable often turns to hatred, and the more ignorant the person the higher chance they will not hold back on those feelings.

However, like I said, it could easily be subjective. I've never met someone quite so racist as that person, so my take on racism could differ hugely. But hopefully you can see where I'm coming from with the Xenophobia linked to racism anyway.

That person I met was probably more ignorant and Xenophobic rather than truly, hatefully racist.

When pressed on the issue and asked why he didn't like black people, he actually didn't know. He had no real reasons to dislike black people apart from his upbringing, and seemed to be parroting racist rhetoric learned from his family, rather than making a conscious decision to hate of his own free will (and apart from being a spiteful little gobshite, he would never have the courage of his convictions to act upon his racism).

It's like you say, his natural Xenophobia was encouraged and positively enforced, which turned into ignorant hatred with no real reason or logic behind it, and because of his ignorance, he never had the social conscience to hold his tongue with regards to his views.

Also, he was never the sharpest tool in the box regardless of world view.

 

[MelziGurl]

I'm not racist in personality, but I have and will continue to say discriminatory things against other cultures or backgrounds when certin groups do things to piss me off. Fuck, even Aboriginals here say racist things about each other.

We all are whether you say or think it, it doesn't matter. But no, it doesn't make you a bad person depending on how you conduct yourself.

 

[Chris^^]

if they whole heartedly believe that they are better than someone simply by virtue of skin colour then they are an ignorant fuckwit.

 

[EeveeElectro]

Uhm.. I don't like Asian men, not because of their skin colour, but because three tried grabbing me in town once, one tried mugging me and three tried to pick a fight with me earlier. People stupidly call me racist because of that.
As long as he doesn't act on it, he's not a bad person.

you ARE a racist because of that! you're discriminating the occupants of several countries because of the actions of 3! its not like all white people are saints you know!

Oh, for crying out loud... look at what I said to that troll in a previous post. There's a difference between prejudice and racism. But when it's a different skin colour it always seems to be racism.

Hey, that's a step too far. Maybe you have different views toward being racist, but that guy wasn't a troll for calling you out on what you said. The way you phrased it came across as you saying "I don't like Asian people" to me, and if he calls you out on that it's him acting on his opinion and not being a troll.

Well, he just seemed like he was purposely trying to piss me off. People accusing me of things I'm not sends me into a rage.
And btw.

Spoiler

We had to go round primary schools and teach children about it, especially how it works both ways.

 

[-Samurai-]

No, it doesn't make anyone a bad person. Some people have perfectly good reasons for hating a specific race.

Being human means we are allowed to dislike or like whatever/whoever we want, with or without any logical reason.

 

[FutureHousedad]

not really thats there opinion i dont judge me personally have been called a nzi many times and to be quite frank i am a bit of a neo nazi

.......You realize nazi's are definitively evil....so essentially you just called yourself evil.

 

[ErythorbicAcid]

I live in the mighty state of Kentucky, one of the few places where people still REALLY like lawn jockeys. Yeah, lawn jockeys. http://www.ericscheske.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Lawn_jockey.jpg That's omg racist.

Almost everyone here is racist, I can solidly attest that a whole lot of them are genuinely good people who would give you the shirt off their back, as long as you are white. There is just a whole lot of ignorance and lack of acceptance of ANYTHING different, let alone skin color.

 

[starwarsgeek]

I'd say no...assuming the person in the above comment doesn't commit any actual hate crimes. Everyone has their vices, and while the "example" would be wrong in that area, that doesn't negate everything else.

 

[Chainsaws_of_War_2]

Living in the south of the US, I sorta don't have a choice if I want to have any friends at school so I just "go with the flow". Call me what you will but bigotry is something that's never going to disappear in today's world.

 

[The Diabolical Biz]

As has already been said throughout the thread, they're not really a bad person, but they are probably fairly ignorant

 

[John_Dillinger]

Nope just bigoted

 

[Le_Lisra]

Yes, because its valuing something valueless.

 

[Le_Lisra]

not really thats there opinion i dont judge me personally have been called a nzi many times and to be quite frank i am a bit of a neo nazi

.......You realize nazi's are definitively evil....so essentially you just called yourself evil.

you sir are a extremly stupid man

hitler geobles georing and himmler were evil the party itself was dragged down with it and burned but from the ashes of shame and hate the neo-nazi's arose we do not hate other race we believe in discipline and order not sgregation and degragation

we hate hitler and all that he put the world throught and want only peace
we seek to unite not destroy yes the gestapo and ss were evil we are not

Then for fucks sake don't call yourself that.. really.. because it clearly shows you have no understanding of what it means.

 

[thahat]

well its all down to perceptions is my oppinion.
or, in other words, the reason for the racism. many racist, are, idiots,
but as soon as you start lookint at probability, then some races have higher chances of a certain lifestyle then others. verry popular these days is the muslim/islam comparison.
muslims will, more often then say, your average european or american follow islam, islam is, in some peoples hands, a bad thing. and thus people get fuel for their racism.
-finds the quran to be a book of hate and idiocy, it was wise, 2000 years ago, but it no longer is apliccable to modern life, they should make a new one. -

 

[_Cake_]

Everyone has prejudices. I, for example, feel a slight twinge of revulsion (I guess you could call it that) when I see a black person, especially if they look like a rapper or something. I can't help it.

Wow that's some of the most evil hatred. That hurts "revulsion" wow that's just shocking that I'm revolting to you for being alive. No matter what I will always be revolting to you no matter how good a person I am.

 

[thahat]

not really thats there opinion i dont judge me personally have been called a nzi many times and to be quite frank i am a bit of a neo nazi

.......You realize nazi's are definitively evil....so essentially you just called yourself evil.

you sir are a extremly stupid man

hitler geobles georing and himmler were evil the party itself was dragged down with it and burned but from the ashes of shame and hate the neo-nazi's arose we do not hate other race we believe in discipline and order not sgregation and degragation

we hate hitler and all that he put the world throught and want only peace
we seek to unite not destroy yes the gestapo and ss were evil we are not

Then for fucks sake don't call yourself that.. really.. because it clearly shows you have no understanding of what it means.

as far as i know, nazi's, indeed put high stock in disciplin and order. also, verry well built tanks XD. to call themself neo-nazi's, or new nazi's, is not in itself a bad thing, just,... a tad not so bright, for it holds no consideration for other peoples feelings.

 

[Savagezion]

It's hard to discern what makes someone a good person or a bad person as most if not all people fall into a middle ground. Good intentions can lead to terrible actions and bad intentions could actually lead to so called "blessings in disguise". This said, The person in the proposed example is not neccessarily a bad person. Ignorant, sure.

However, being racist is a bad quality and does in fact degrade your social charactor. The more racist you are, the more it effects it. The person in the example for instance is a bad person if they go out and beat people of said race on Tuesday nights or are very social and demeaning to the race in question.

Only a fellow racist (usually of the same race) would find this a redeeming quality.

 

[Daffy F]

Interesting thread . I would say it doesn't necessarily make them a bad person, because they can choose to believe what they want, but if they were going to be racist in my face then I would tell them to not be racist in front of me. In that scenario I believe this hypothetical person would respect that opinion.

 

[Plurralbles]

...if I distanced myself from racist friends I wouldn't be able to get their moonshine, I'm not willing to do that. : D

They're not bad people, just a little goofy and weird in that way. They've only seen 3 black people in their entire lives too so of course they're going to be a little prejudiced against the unknown.